<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Love Blooms Here by autumnclouds</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25072576">Love Blooms Here</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/autumnclouds/pseuds/autumnclouds'>autumnclouds</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Victorious (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Comedy??, F/M, I suck at tags, Romance, Slow Burn, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, andre is a music producer, beck owns a cafe, cat and tori are models, jade didn't go to art school, jade is a photographer, robbie is a sfx supervisor?, send help for tags, they didn't go to HA</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:47:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,999</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25072576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/autumnclouds/pseuds/autumnclouds</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone has a soulmate mark. You get it at the age of ten, and it blooms into a flower at eighteen. At least, that was what Beck's research told him - except he's twenty-three now, and his mark hasn't bloomed. Not until the fateful day he meets Jade West.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Andre Harris/Tori Vega, Beck Oliver/Jade West, Robbie Shapiro/Cat Valentine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The thing that mattered most to people in the world was their soulmate mark — they showed up as a type of flower bud, stem or branch on either the right or left wrist at the age of ten, and when they met their soulmate, the flowers would <em> bloom </em>. Some with colourful flowers and others with just the black and white outline of petals; the variation was stunningly endless and one-of-a-kind.</p><p>Research showed that 97% of the world's population met their fated partner at eighteen, 2% were rare cases where some people met them past the average age. The last 1% were cases where they never found their soulmate, because they never crossed paths (many people refuted this, saying it was impossible because soulmates naturally gravitated towards one another), or because either one of the two passed away.</p><p>If it were to be the latter, the remaining half of the pair had to watch their soulmate mark wither away and vanish entirely from their skin. </p><p>This particular tidbit of information had been difficult for Beck to swallow, because he was now twenty-three — turning twenty-four in a few weeks — and his mark still remained the same, unchanging, lonesome stem he’d seen since he was ten. He had long given up on finding <em> the one </em> ever since he turned twenty; every year after that slowly reducing the probability of ever finding <em> the one, </em>and now he just hoped he would never see it vanish.</p><p>"Beck!” </p><p>The tinkle of the door paired with the cheery greeting made the male turn from where he had been absentmindedly cleaning the coffee machine, furrowing his brows questioningly before he spotted his friends making their way into the cafe. Immediately, an amiable grin made its way to his face and he gave them a wave in acknowledgement. He continued to clean the machine whilst they took their usual seats at the counter facing the open bar of the establishment — it was pretty small for a cafe, but it was cosy and most importantly, it was <em> his </em>. </p><p>He wiped his hands on a clean towel after washing them, smoothing out his apron before he approached the small group that had seated themselves and were flipping through the menu. Immediately, he found one person missing, if only because it was much quieter without said person, and she had very unmistakable red hair. </p><p>“Where’s Cat?” He asked, leaning down to fold his arms on top of the tall counter. It was a slow day, he had sent his staff (who had been feeling sickly) home, and most of his customers were regulars that didn’t mind his casual mannerisms — that weren’t all that often anyway. </p><p>“Oh, she had to go to pick up some photos from a… photographer friend.” Tori piped up, glancing at him from over the top of her menu, scrunching her nose whilst trying to remember which friend it was. Cat had the largest social circle out of all five of them, meaning that sometimes she met new people frequently, and they would have no clue as to who it was. “I think it was someone she knew from back in kindergarten or something.”</p><p>“Kindergarten? That was <em> pretty </em>long ago.” Beck commented, an amused grin pulling the corners of his lips up. He straightened up, shaking his head as his tiny ponytail swung around. “But she’s still coming, right?”</p><p>“Of course, you know she wouldn’t miss a chance to hang out with us.” Robbie piped up, a laugh tracing his lips enthusiastically at the thought of his soulmate. “It’s only been a few days since we’ve come here, but she misses you all already.”</p><p>“Typical Cat.” Tori sighed fondly, shaking her head before she set down her menu, her small ambrosia flower mark showing its full bloom in soft pink hues on her olive skin. “I’ll get a hot chocolate. Andre, do you want to split a stack of pancakes?”</p><p>“Sure, that sounds good. I’ll have honey tea, my throat’s been weird lately.” The dark-skinned boy set his menu down as well, his own ambrosia flower mark matching the brunette’s perfectly. </p><p>“Sure thing Tor, Dre,” Beck nodded and turned around to shuffle towards the machines, getting started on their hot beverages. “What about you, Rob?”</p><p>“I’ll have an iced mocha latte and this nachos platter… maybe a strawberry smoothie for Cat when she gets here too.” Robbie nodded, satisfied whilst Beck gave him a thumbs-up from where he was currently making Tori’s hot chocolate. “So, how’s work going for you, Tor, Dre?” </p><p>“Oh, you know, the usual… modelling gigs are so tedious with difficult photographers.” Tori rolled her eyes, sighing softly as she fiddled with her fingers. “But speaking of photographers, have you heard anything from Cat about this kindergarten-friend-photographer person?”</p><p>“I think her name was some kind of gem…?” Robbie squinted, adjusting his glasses and trying hard to remember the details that the redhead had basically showered him with at a hundred words per second. He shrugged in the end, not recalling the name of said friend. “I think it was something close to Jay or something.”</p><p>Tori took a double-take at her friend in disbelief. “Jay is a far cry from anything gem-like, Robbie.” </p><p>“Hot chocolate,” Beck announced, interrupting their short conversation as he set the small saucer down along with the tall cup, the hot beverage complete with a tower of whipped cream and chocolate shavings, then set down the bigger, flatter cup of hot tea down in front of Andre. “And honey tea for Dre.” </p><p>“Thanks, Beck.” Tori gushed, pulling her phone out to snap a few pictures whilst Andre nodded his thanks, blowing gently on the top of the hot liquid.</p><p>He smiled, going back to work on the next order this time whilst they went back to talking about how they were doing, listening in on bits and pieces. Finishing up last touches on the nachos platter and pancakes, he served it up to his friends quickly along with Robbie’s drink before going back to make the drink his friend had ordered for Cat.</p><p>Whilst he washed the strawberries and measured out the milk, he learned that Andre was working on a new song, and Robbie was doing cinematic work for an upcoming blockbuster movie, smiling proudly. They had all graduated from the same arts-focused university; he found it funny how he was the only one who veered off the artistic path when he had been all about being an actor once he grew up. </p><p>“Thinking ‘bout something, man?” Andre asked, taking a sip as he looked at his best friend, who was deep in thought.</p><p>“Just thinking how it’s funny I’m the only one who ended up not doing anything art-related.” He shrugged one shoulder, giving them a placid smile. “You all seem happy.”</p><p>“Aw, Beck, models aren’t artists too,” Tori assured him, shaking her head with a soft smile. “Andre and Robbie were the lucky ones who got into the industry right away. Maybe we didn’t get our big break, but… we’re happy now.”</p><p>She searched his eyes, the last of her words a little hopeful, questioning, and he nodded, smiling wider. He finished the smoothie, topping it with extra strawberries since he knew Cat’s love for the fruit, about to set it aside to chill in the fridge before she arrived. </p><p>“I mean, there’s no other place I’d rather be.” He said at last, and Tori smiled, knowing he was sincere in his words. “Sure, acting might have been my childhood dream, but I like my life now.”</p><p>“Speaking of,” the brunette’s tone changed, becoming a little excited and <em> knowing, </em>she stirred her drink and thumbing through whatever it was she was trying on her phone. “What do you think of this girl? She’s a new model at our agency, her name is Meredith and she’s really sweet! Want me to set up a date with her?”</p><p>She turned the phone so he could see the smiling brunette on the device when he was done setting the smoothie aside. Beck turned, glanced at the picture before he gave her a wry smile. </p><p>“I don’t know, Tor… the last time you tried to set me up with someone from your agency, she thought pouring juice down her dress to test if I would buy her a new one on the spot was a good idea.” He sighed lightly, knowing it wasn’t really her fault that she tended to look for the good in people.</p><p>“I knooow,” she groaned, pouting a little as she turned her phone back to herself at the memory. “I’m still sorry Hayley tried to do that to you. I swear she was nice when I first got to know her.”</p><p>The brunette took a sip out of her drink whilst pouting, thumbing at the photo of her new colleague. In all honesty, she just wanted to help him, because the possibility that he just hadn’t <em> met </em> his soulmate was high, and he was the only one without ‘his other half’ like the rest of them. And contrary to the many times he claimed he wasn’t lonely, she could see that he <em> was </em>through his eyes.</p><p>“Okay, but I swear Meredith is nice!” She huffed after staring into her drink to string a proper sentence together. “She says please and thank you, and she holds the door for staff, too.”</p><p>“As nice as that Tara girl you set Beck up with? She was as crazy as Hayley was.” Andre commented, sharing a chuckle with Beck, who shook his head at the memory. “She threw her iced coffee over his shirt because <em> it didn’t match his pants, </em>remember?”</p><p>“Weren’t they best friends too? Maybe it was revenge.” Robbie piped up, but they all found it amusing now since it had been a while when it happened. Even Tori cracked a smile at the memory despite feeling wronged about her impression of Meredith.</p><p>“No but Meredith’s a really sweet girl, Beck, just give her a chance.” She begged, pouting a little in desperation. She really just wanted him to be happy, maybe Meredith would be the one to make his mark bloom? All he needed was to go on one date with her.</p><p>The boy in question huffed out a long breath in thought, resisting the urge to run his hands through his hair (it was a habit when he was thinking, but he had to keep things sanitary and hygienic) — instead he settled them on his hips, cocking an eyebrow at the brunette.</p><p>“I really don’t know, Tor.” He said at last, shrugging in hopelessness when she started dramatizing her pout even more. </p><p>“C’mon, don’t force Beck if he doesn’t want to,” Andre gave her a nudge, then wrapped one arm around her comfortingly, knowing the brunette only had good intentions for their friend. “I know you just want to help, but y’know, maybe fate has something different in store for him.” </p><p>“It’s been <em> years </em> since I was eighteen, Andre.” Beck lifted his eyebrows, sighing softly. He really wished he had his friends’ optimism sometimes, perhaps then he wouldn’t feel like the whole world was against him being happy — of course, he was content with his life, but there was always a feeling that something was <em> missing </em>— but he was also very certain he wouldn’t meet his soulmate so late.</p><p>“It’s only been five years, man, who knows? Maybe she’s right around the corner.” His friend shrugged, taking a bite out of the pancakes he had ordered. “I’m sure they’re out there somewhere.”</p><p>“Five years is a long time, Dre. The oldest someone was when they met their soulmate was twenty-two. I’m twenty-three.” He sighed again, shifting to press his palms into the flat wooden surface of the counter. “I’m probably not going to meet them.”</p><p>“I mean, you’re turning twenty-four in a few weeks, so… that’s only two years past the oldest age someone has met their soulmate.” Robbie pushed his glasses up and ate a chip from the nachos platter. “Relax, you still have time.”</p><p>“Yeah, sure. If you guys say so.” Beck shook his head fondly at his friends, knowing they were trying to be optimistic for him. They had his best interest in mind, and as much as he said he wasn’t lonely… he was. He wanted what they had with their soulmates, but he had long come to the conclusion that he would never meet his other half.</p><p>The bell tinkled merrily just then, interrupting their conversation as the door opened, and a familiar redhead entered with a cheery smile.</p><p>“Hiii guys! Sorry I’m late, it took quite a while to convince my friend to come join us.” She laughed, holding the door open for said friend, who stepped in after her, and she let the door slowly swing shut on its own. Cat began introductions, gesturing to each person as she said their names. “Okay, this is Jade. Jade, this is Tori, Andre, Robbie and Beck!”</p><p>They exchanged hellos, the tall brunette standing behind the petite redhead seemingly uninterested in making friends with them. She wore a black cardigan over a short black dress, and her feet were tucked into a pair of maroon combat boots that seemed to have worn down considerably — but somehow, she looked absolutely <em> gorgeous, </em>and suddenly it felt like Beck didn’t know how to breathe.</p><p>“Did you order anything for me?” Cat asked Robbie as she took a seat next to him naturally, Jade sliding into the seat next to her without a word.</p><p>“Yeah, I got you a strawberry smoothie,” he replied with a grin, then gestured to the plate of nachos filled with cheese, sauces and bits of small tomatoes and beans. “And a nacho platter!”</p><p>“Ooh, that looks delicious! Thanks, Robbie.” She kissed him on the cheek happily, beaming at Beck when he served up her smoothie quickly with extra strawberries. “And thanks, Beck!” </p><p>“No problem.” He smiled at the redhead, before she turned to Jade inquisitively.</p><p>“Are you going to order anything, Jadey?” She asked, habitually batting her eyelashes as she took a sip of her drink. “Oh, I forgot to tell you that Beck owns this cafe. So… yeah.”</p><p>"Don't call me that." The brunette in question didn’t even spare him a glance as she flipped through the menu, which made him raise his eyebrows in surprise — he was definitely more accustomed to his friends’ friends being more receptive to him, or openly flirty because he apparently ‘looked handsome’. </p><p>“I’ll have a large coffee, black.” She said at last, shutting the menu before sliding it away with pursed lips.</p><p>“Coming right up.” He replied, amusement flooding his features as he picked up the menu and returned it into the allotted slot behind the counter. Beck got to work on the order, feeling some weird tingle on his left wrist, but ignoring it anyway since he had a job to finish.</p><p>He poured the aromatic coffee into a cup, watching the dark liquid swirl around the large, cream-coloured cup. Filling it to the brim like he usually did, he placed it on the saucer and served it up to the brunette, retrieving the small glass jar of sugar cubes he kept behind the counter and placing it next to the coffee.</p><p>“Your coffee.” </p><p>All he received was a hum in return, the brunette’s eyes never leaving her phone screen, and he decided it was better to leave her alone since she didn’t seem to be up for making small talk like the majority of his regulars. He returned to the side where Andre and Tori were seated, engaging in their conversation and resisting the urge to pull up the sleeve of his button-down shirt and scratch the tingly area. It just kept growing farther and farther up his arm, and he had no idea what was happening — he’d never heard of a tingling sensation on the wrist where the soulmate mark was from <em> any </em>of his friends, or family, for that matter, and he didn’t recall any research papers that described the itching on his skin.</p><p>“Beck? Are you okay?” Tori asked, brows furrowed at how antsy her normally calm friend seemed to be. He was twitching his fingers a lot more, curling and uncurling them tightly. </p><p>“I’m fine,” he forced out, offering a tight, seemingly nonchalant smile. Obviously, Tori doesn’t buy this, after years of being his friend and knowing how good he was at putting on a mask.</p><p>“You don’t seem well. Maybe we should go so you can close up early.” She stated, finishing the last of her drink before she glanced towards the rest of the group. They had already either finished their food and drinks, or almost finished them and were just making light conversation. “Guys, Beck seems really tired. I was thinking we should all go home and let him rest.” </p><p>“Okay.” was the general answer once his friends had a look at his face, knowing he seemed off. Cat finished the last of her smoothie too quickly, squealing about a brain-freeze whilst Jade finished her coffee without a complaint. He honestly didn’t think she would agree to leaving, but he was thankful either way.</p><p>“Feel better, Beck!” Cat called out as she stood up, rubbing her temples in an attempt to quell the raging brain-freeze she had. </p><p>“See you man.” Andre and Robbie echoed, bumping his fist with theirs in turn, and Tori stared him with her best glare.</p><p>“You better close up shop and go home after we leave.” She huffed, pointing at him whilst narrowing her eyes.</p><p>They started to leave one by one, Jade standing up at last once Cat tugged on her arm; he waved to his friends as they exited the door, catching a pair of startling blue eyes. Within seconds, Jade had turned away and left with Cat as well, leaving Beck alone in the shop. </p><p>He exhaled a long breath he didn’t know he had been holding, trudging towards the door to flip the sign to show the cafe was closed for the day, untying his apron and folding it. Releasing his semi-long hair from its hair tie, he ran a hand through his hair, licked his lips and reached for his backpack to stuff his belongings inside. He sat down on a tall stool and began closing, counting the money he had earned and opening the tip jar, jotting it down on a piece of paper to distribute it fairly among his staff tomorrow. Once he was done, he picked up the dishes and cups and washed them thoroughly before setting them aside to dry, then washed his hands.</p><p>Those blue eyes haunted him throughout the whole fifteen minute routine, and he stopped short once he was done wiping down the counter. Beck heaved a long sigh, knowing that he felt Jade was attractive — she was gorgeous, with long, luscious dark hair and pale skin, and her eyes were the colour of the prettiest oceans that he could swim forever in.</p><p>“Stop it.” He whispered to himself, wanting to mentally block the permanent image of her ocean irises from his brain. “Nobody sane dates someone who isn’t their soulmate.” </p><p>He opened the door to the late evening breeze, crouching down to lock it with the key in hand before he hoisted his backpack up his shoulder and headed over to where his car was usually parked. Slamming the door shut and starting the engine, he tossed his bag carelessly onto the passenger’s seat, put his seatbelt on and took a deep breath.</p><p>The drive home was quiet, short, and uneventful as always. Somehow, he was more exhausted than before, trekking quietly to his apartment with heavy footsteps. Once the door was locked behind him, he slipped his bag off his shoulders, discarding it onto its designated seat along with his shirt.</p><p>Perhaps he should look at the tingly spot — it had stopped itching ever since his friends had left the shop, or maybe it had been earlier than that — but it was better to check and make sure he didn’t have a rash or something along those lines.</p><p>Beck entered his bathroom, ready to cool the area with cold water if necessary, lifting his wrist to take a look at the area. He paused, rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times for good measure, then looked back at his wrist again. He wasn’t hallucinating, was he? </p><p>A bunch of blue, purple and pink flowers seemed to laugh merrily at him from their newfound spot on his skin. He moved quickly, reaching for the soap and rubbing it against the newly-bloomed flower on his wrist. He kept rubbing until his skin turned red from his efforts, but finally, he gave up scrubbing, because it <em> wasn’t </em>coming off and it definitely wasn’t a hallucination. His mind raced a mile a minute, trying to figure out when this had happened. </p><p>“Think, Beck, think.” He whispered to himself, running a hand anxiously through his hair in thought. All his regulars had come to the shop today, and he saw them almost every single day, so there were no possible soulmate candidates there since it had <em> just </em>bloomed. Had it been blooming when it was all tingly earlier? That was when Jade had come into the shop.</p><p>
  <em> Jade. </em>
</p><p>He stared at his reflection in shock at the obvious revelation. Jade. Jade was his soulmate. It couldn’t be. Jade? His soulmate? It was laughable. All the five years he had spent pouring his heart and soul into finding the reason why his mark hadn’t bloomed yet, and then giving up on ever finding his other half, only for it to appear <em> now. </em>Of all the times. God really threw him for a ride. </p><p>Beck didn’t know what to think. They said meeting your soulmate was a magical moment, where you’d know and recognise each other, but she had barely even <em> looked </em> at him. He knew he found her attractive, but he didn’t <em> know </em>her. He definitely didn’t feel that magical moment many people described online and in person. Did she feel anything? She didn’t seem to be bothered. </p><p>Exhausted by the sudden surprise, he exhaled loudly. It was too late — he already figured it out, the mark had already bloomed, there was no chance of going back in time to fix it so he never met her, so <em> it never bloomed. </em>He looked at himself in the mirror and heaved another sigh.</p><p>It was fine. His life didn’t have to change just because he found his soulmate. Jade. Jade was his soulmate. Gorgeous, gorgeous Jade, who he had <em> just met today— </em>okay, stop. It didn’t help to think about it now, he decided. </p><p>He’d come up with a solution tomorrow.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i'm BACK with that soulmate au (at last). bam. i'm excited about this one!! there aren't any line breaks in this because... idk why but just because. please tell me your thoughts &lt;3 thank you for reading! </p><p>* for image reference of their soulmate marks, refer to https://www.inkedmag.com/original-news/a-z-guide-to-flower-tattoo-meanings-and-symbolism !! i got them from that website (:</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He had ended up tossing and turning until 2am in the morning, when he had finally fallen asleep from exhaustion — not for long, though, because barely an hour passed before he woke up, and he really, really wished he could just go to sleep. Instead, he was stuck laying on his back and staring up at his ceiling trying to chase the remnants of his sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually he gave up after trying to go to sleep after a long while, and he sat up instead. Beck exhaled a long breath, tossing the covers off and shuffling to his closet to find a shirt and shorts, throwing them on. He ran a hand through his hair in a valiant attempt to tame it, grabbed his phone, headphones and keys and was out the door quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no destination in mind as he took off, jogging lightly down the empty streets. Soft music flowed in his ears as he glanced up towards the starless, dark sky that seemed endless, letting himself be lost in his thoughts. His mind was in total disarray, and he knew he had to sort them out one by one. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As his playlist jumped from one quiet song to another, Beck found himself running past the park entrance, straight towards the shadiest tree in the middle of the park. It was a distance away from the large lake, and it was his favourite spot to hang out whenever he needed to think. He leaned against the trunk of the tree, trying to let his breathing return to normal, and decided to sit down instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” He whispered to himself, running a hand through his hair. The brightly-coloured flowers on his wrist greeted him when he put his hand down, and he sighed, pulling out his phone. “Let’s see… Flower… Identification… Tool.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beck thumbed through the list of the best apps for identifying flowers, finding one that he vaguely recalled Cat and Tori raving over because they showed the flowers and the meanings of it (they had been squealing over how sweet the meanings were), and decided to download that particular one. Thankfully, the download was fast, and he tapped into the camera option, got the flowers into the frame, and snapped a picture. If he were completely honest, he didn’t know </span>
  <em>
    <span>why </span>
  </em>
  <span>he wanted to know about the flowers — it wouldn’t change the fact that he didn’t know Jade at all, but there was just an immense curiosity about the flowers that bloomed on his skin. Perhaps a positive meaning behind the mark would make him feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>something </span>
  </em>
  <span>about finally finding his soulmate?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seconds later, his phone pinged to notify him that the identification was done, and he glanced down at the screen. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kalanchoe </span>
  </em>
  <span>was the scientific name of the flower, or rather, the genus of about 125 species of tropical succulent flowering plants; his eyes darted down as he scrolled to where the word ‘meaning’ was and paused. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Persistence; eternal love.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Huh. He couldn’t stop his scoff. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eternal love? </span>
  </em>
  <span>That was a load of baloney for someone he hadn’t met before. Any thoughts that he had about finding something positive to maybe feel linked to her someone flew out the window, because how could there be eternal love for someone he didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>know? </span>
  </em>
  <span>With a loud sigh, he let his head fall back against the trunk of the tree and scowled to himself. This was definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>like that time Andre had bumped into Tori in the hallway during their first year of university and spilled her books onto the floor — he’d helped her pick them up and then when their eyes met, even Beck could see the spark between them as a bystander. Or the time when Tori had introduced Cat to their little group, and Robbie had immediately been starstruck to the point he had dropped his burger onto the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There had been nothing like that between him and his supposed soulmate. Andre had spoken about having seen Tori through this filter that made everything around her </span>
  <em>
    <span>sparkle</span>
  </em>
  <span>, for crying out loud, and whilst he had found Jade drop-dead gorgeous, there had been absolutely nothing magical about their encounter. She hadn’t even </span>
  <em>
    <span>glanced </span>
  </em>
  <span>his way the entire time she had been there, it was easy to even ascertain she didn’t even have a smidgen of interest in him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. Maybe it was a joke by the gods, like his ancestors from long, long ago had somehow screwed up their orders and this was their karma. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Har, har, curse your generations down the line </span>
  </em>
  <span>kind of thing, except his parents were the typical story of how two soulmates met at eighteen and fell in love, and had a perfect, happy life. Who knew how many generations the curse had skipped? He scowled harder, turning off his phone and resisting the urge to slam the device into the grass out of pure frustration — he had waited for so long, only to give up on finding his soulmate, </span>
  <em>
    <span>only </span>
  </em>
  <span>for his soulmate to show up and not even care about him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tell-tale click of a camera shutter went off nearby, making Beck look up from where he had been mindlessly glowering at his hands. To his surprise, Jade stood there, a camera in her hands whilst she thumbed through what was presumably the gallery. She was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants, something he didn’t consider could look this good on anyone — except she looks </span>
  <em>
    <span>stunning </span>
  </em>
  <span>even in the loose clothing, and he’s not really sure what to think anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was that for?” He asked, confusion and curiosity triumphing over his frustration. Honestly, he hadn’t expected anyone else to be outside at this timing, let alone the one person he had been thinking about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t answer for a moment, studying the picture she just took before she looked up at him and came closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cat always told me about how nice you were.” She spoke at last after staring at the picture for a while more. She gave a nonchalant shrug before continuing. “How you always smiled and stuff like that. She showed me pictures. So when I saw you frowning, I thought I’d take a picture.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her answer just confused him more, his brows knitting together to show that she had just thrown him for a loop. He just stared at her silently, waiting for her to further explain. She finally looked up at him just then, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh wow her eyes were really pretty. </span>
  </em>
  <span>When he didn’t say a word in return, Jade levelled a look that called him dumb a hundred times over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing here anyway?” He asked, deciding to change the subject whilst he pondered the actual reason for her taking the photo. “It’s late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jade arched a brow at him, as if to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>so what? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Then, to his surprise, she approached and actually took a seat next to him — though not close enough to touch. He doesn’t say anything despite feeling confused about why she would sit next to him when there was pretty much space everywhere else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was taking pictures until I saw you.” She answered, setting the camera in her lap before she levelled a gaze at him, blue eyes piercing through his very soul. “I couldn’t sleep so I decided to take some pictures of the night sky.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He debated asking why she couldn’t sleep (was it for reasons similar to his?), but then he glanced down at her camera instead, gesturing to it. “Can I see?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jade pondered this for a minute, narrowing her eyes at him whilst he offered her a small smile of reassurance. “... Fine, but if you delete anything, I’ll </span>
  <em>
    <span>murder </span>
  </em>
  <span>you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite his nonchalant tone, he swallowed hard at the threat — because it seemed very believable that she </span>
  <em>
    <span>would </span>
  </em>
  <span>murder him if he did anything. He accepted the device from her, noting how soft and pale her hands were, then lifted it up so he could thumb through the gallery. There were various shots of the skies and the stars tonight, some of stray cats, some of flowers, and then he got to the picture of him. She had obviously zoomed in, but there he was, seated comfortably against the trunk with a frown spread over his features, and then his arm, laid down against his legs and his wrist turned towards the direction of the camera. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bright flowers on his skin seemed to be the centerpiece of the photo, though he doubted it since she said she had taken it because he had been frowning. Because Cat told her he smiled a lot. Nevertheless, it was a good picture of him, and he liked it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? You have something to say?” She growled from beside him, leaning closer to catch a glimpse of which photo he was looking at; the realisation that he was looking at the photo she had taken of him quickly hitting her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no,” he jerked his head up, surprised at how close she was and how aromatic she smelled. His words almost died on his tongue, but he managed to spit them out anyway. “It’s a very pretty picture. I like it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stared him in the eyes, as if she were looking for something as he stared back, wondering if he had said or done something wrong. The longer she stared, the more breathless he felt; his tongue darting out to wet his lips as he glanced away for a second. As if she found what she was looking for, she retreated out of his personal space, and he found himself exhaling an inaudible sigh of relief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, I guess.” Jade muttered, then held out a hand for her camera. “If you’re done, I want it back. You’re going to get your germs all over it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He raised a brow at her words, a little confused. “My germs are already all over it, cause I’m touching it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She scowled then, and even with an unpleasant look on her face, she still managed to look pretty. “I don’t need your sass, Oliver.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know my last name?” Beck questioned, brows knitting together as he handed her camera back so he wouldn’t further antagonise her. She took it back swiftly, pursing her lips as she made sure he didn’t sneakily delete any of her photos. “Can I know your last name too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The brunette busied herself with making a show out of wiping her camera with the sleeve of her shirt instead of answering. When she was done, she looked up at him, expecting him to have given up — like all the other men that had shown an interest despite not being her soulmate — but she found him still staring at her expectantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was certainly different from the guys she had dated before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you wanna know?” Scowling at him, she rubbed her sleeve more roughly against the interface screen of her camera.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you know mine,” he pointed out patiently, staring at her in amusement. His brown eyes twinkled, seemingly enjoying this banter they had. He kind of looked like an overgrown puppy, and she wanted to punch him. “It’s unfair that I don’t know yours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, fine, just stop staring at me like that.” Jade groaned, rolling her eyes in exasperation whilst she tucked her camera away safely into its pouch that she kept in her messenger bag. “It’s West. Jade West.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What did she mean stop staring at her like that? He couldn’t help the way he looked. Before he could say another word, though, she closed the flap of her bag and stood up abruptly, turning around to stalk off the way she came. Beck scrambled to his feet immediately, jogging after her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, where are you going?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going home,” she snapped, not looking at him as he caught up with her effortlessly — damn him for being just that bit taller and having longer legs. “It’s late. I need to sleep.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll walk you home.” He offered immediately, only to flinch slightly and put up his hands in a surrendering motion when she whirled around and </span>
  <em>
    <span>gnashed </span>
  </em>
  <span>her teeth at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need you to walk me home.” Jade glowered at him, and he just gave her a smile so infuriating, she was tempted to stomp on his foot and march off. “I’m not some damsel in distress for you to rescue.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He paused, taking in her words. Of course, he had offered because he was habitually a nice person; he’d been raised to be chivalrous by his mother, and he hadn’t gotten a reaction like this so far. However, he could see how it insinuated that she was weak, and he was to protect her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, that’s… not what I meant.” Beck explained, moving his hands slightly. She stared at him with another scowl, but didn’t take another step — something he counted as positive; her wanting to listen to him. “It’s just a habit. I’m always walking or driving Cat and Tori home when they’re not with Robbie and Andre. I didn’t mean to hint that you were… incapable of protecting yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence between them was almost tangible, before she turned to him fully with a confused frown. He noticed her pursing her lips, then clutching the strap of her bag tighter in her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’re not saying you’ll walk me home because you magically want to protect me since we’re soulmates?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh. So she did know they were soulmates. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, duh, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he chided himself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>obviously such big, brightly-coloured flowers were difficult to miss. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And now he kind of wanted to see how her mark looked on her skin — okay, that took a weird direction, stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, not at all. Is that… supposed to happen?” He asked, eyebrows scrunched together whilst he ran a hand through his hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, Cat always praised Robbie for being so protective over her.” Jade shrugged, then gave him an equally confused face. “Wait… what do you mean, is that supposed to happen? Cat always said the first time she met Robbie, it was like her world suddenly exploded with flowers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Andre talked about seeing </span>
  <em>
    <span>sparkles </span>
  </em>
  <span>when he met Tori,” he scoffed, raising his eyebrows and giving another shrug. She mirrored his expression, tilting her head to ask him to continue. “I was in the same hallway, I didn’t see any sparkles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, let me get this straight - you’re saying you didn’t feel any magical moment during our meeting?” She asked, raising her brows and removing one hand to gesticulate whilst she spoke. “No eureka moment, no sparkles, no flowers, nothing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beck paused at her question and stared at her for a moment, studying her features and expression, wanting to ascertain if she would go ballistic if he spoke the truth. Something about the specific question she was asking made him think that she basically didn’t feel anything like he did, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I didn’t feel any special effects during our meeting.” He said at last, sweeping a hand through his hair anxiously in case she sprung on him unexpectedly. “None of those that you described, except tingling on my wrist. I didn’t even connect that to the mark until I got home and wanted to check out if I had a rash or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh. Me too.” She admitted, giving a nonchalant shrug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence after blanketed the space between them, and they both stood there for a moment to let it sink in. Questions raced through his mind — what did that entail, exactly, that they both didn’t have that special moment everyone experienced when they met their soulmates? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So…” He started, deciding to push the questions to the back of his mind and focus on the present. “I’ll walk you home if you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jade levelled him with a look, staying silent for a long moment. He waited patiently, hands in his pockets, for her to say something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... Sure.” </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The walk back to her apartment was mostly quiet, except when they filled the spaces between with questions that weren’t too personal or probing. He learned she was a year younger, she worked as a freelance photographer, and how she met Cat again during one of her photoshoots and remembered the crazy hyper girl from kindergarten. He told her about buying the cafe, attending an arts-focused university, and how he had met the rest of the gang.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jade knew about Tori from Cat, though her exact words were </span>
  <em>
    <span>she just rubbed me the wrong way, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and he shrugged it off with a laugh, knowing his friend could be a little overwhelmingly friendly from the get-go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t live far from the park, just twenty minutes away, and by the time they had shared their small bits of information, they had reached her apartment complex. Beck walked her into the complex, where it split into different hallways and stairs, waiting for her to shoo him away. Once they continued down the hallway to a navy door, she stopped before it, turning to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So… this is where I go, then.” Jade stated, looking up at him with her pretty, pretty eyes through long lashes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I guess so.” He shrugged in return, not knowing what to say now that they had reached her destination. What was he supposed to do? If this had been a date, perhaps he would have kissed her on the cheek if she allowed it, but they had just been walking back from the park together — it wasn’t a date. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The brunette turned towards the door, fishing for her keys as she contemplated whether she wanted to have a conversation about their positions as soulmates, pushing the key into the lock before she whirled around. He was still standing there, as if waiting to make sure she got into her home safely, even though all she had to do was walk through the damn door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen,” she started, wetting her lips and suddenly feeling an endless pit of anxiety at the bottom of her stomach. His chocolate eyes immediately focused on her, and she lost her nerve for a second. “I know we’re soulmates and all…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jade paused, as if to collect her thoughts, and he nodded at her in encouragement to continue whatever she wanted to say. Even in the dimly-lit hallway, he was dashing with his slightly long, loose hair and sincere, chocolate eyes. She still had to make it clear to him, though, and she managed to push her words out anyway despite the endless anxiety pit in her stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, I don’t feel the whole… I love you because you’re my soulmate thing,” She moved her hands to gesture air-quotes, glancing away for a second before she looked at him again. “So you know, I think that we shouldn’t be together just because we’re soulmates. I’m not entirely comfortable with the notion of a relationship with a stranger just because a mark on my wrist says we’re meant to be together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Again, she paused, waiting for him to signal that he was taking in her words. It takes a few seconds, his brows knitting together before he nodded again, silently, and she took it as a cue to continue talking since she wasn’t done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’m sorry if you were going to ask me to be your girlfriend or something,” she rambled, her hands coming together as she rubbed her palms together to calm herself down. “I’m not saying you’re not handsome, because you are. It’s not you, it’s me, that kind of thing… but you’re really nice, and I honestly wouldn’t mind if we became friends.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he were completely honest, he had felt his heart sinking when she had said she didn’t want to be together despite his initial reaction to finding out the meaning of their marks. Something about your soulmate telling you they didn’t want a relationship with you despite being your other half? It was upsetting, but Beck understood her reasons — she didn’t want her relationship to be dictated by a mark on her wrist, and he kind of related to that sentiment. She was a nice girl, despite her sarcasm and snarky remarks, and he had enjoyed her company. Becoming friends sounded like a good deal to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, we can be friends.” He nodded at last, smiling when he spotted her exhaling a small sigh of relief, as if she had been afraid that he would reject her offer for friendship. “I’d like that, actually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She offered him a small smile in return, then she turned to fish something out of her bag and held it out to him — he glanced down to find her unlocked phone on her palm and raised an eyebrow at her curiously. She rolled her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your number. We’re going to be friends anyway, so put your number in.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a silent ‘ah’, Beck took the device from her hand and keyed his number in before handing it back to her, watching as she dialled it and waited for his phone to ring in his pocket. Satisfied, she put her phone back into her bag, looking at him through her lashes again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, see you then.” She turned to grab her door handle, pushing it open before she looked at him over her shoulder. “Text me so I know you got home safely.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t stop the chuckle, grinning at her as she stepped through her door and turned to look at him with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can take care of myself.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure,” she rolled her eyes, still holding the door open. “Goodnight, Beck.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight, Jade.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door shut, and he left the apartment complex with a grin on his face.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>okay i'll admit my heart was racing near the end lolol :') <br/>please enjoy and tell me what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Beck showed up to the cafe a few minutes past eleven am, having gone home to sleep for a few extra hours after seeing Jade home — he had slept until ten, then gotten up to take a quick shower before he had left. Despite being the boss and having perks like not having a set working shift, he still had to manage day-to-day operations. </p><p>There were only a few regulars in the shop, and he greeted them warmly whilst making his way behind the counter to where his two staff were busy wiping down the wood and everything else. Sinjin and Burf had been <em> very </em>particular about cleanliness in the cafe, which he really appreciated. </p><p>“Morning, boss!” Both of them greeted him cheerily once they saw him, pausing in their cleaning to give him a big wave.</p><p>“I’ve told you guys, just Beck is fine.” He sighed, straightening up before he took his apron off its hook in the back room and put it on, coming out as he tied it. </p><p>“But you’re our boss.” Sinjin emphasised, widening his eyes. “We wouldn’t dare.”</p><p>“It’s fine, we’re all about the same age anyway.” Beck threaded his hand through his hair, gathering the messy tresses into its usual small ponytail. Once it was secured with a hair tie, he washed his hands thoroughly, wiping them on a clean cloth.</p><p>“No way, your fangirls will <em> murder </em>us in cold blood.” Sinjin’s eyes widened even more, almost to the point they looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. “We’re too young to die.”</p><p>Beck rolled his eyes. “You’re being dramatic, Sinjin. I don’t have fangirls.”</p><p>“What about Jessica? She hurled her cup at my head when I said I touched your hair before.” The boy replied, raising his brows to prove his point.</p><p>“You know she’s banned. But c’mon, fangirls?” Beck scoffed, folding up his sleeves and leaning against the counter and giving his staff a look. </p><p>That was apparently the wrong move, because he had forgotten his mark had bloomed, and folding his sleeves up meant that the world could now see that he had met his soulmate.</p><p>“Whoa, when did you meet your soulmate?” Sinjin half-yelled, startling Burf who had been rinsing out the cloth he used to wipe the counter with. </p><p>“You met your soulmate?” Burf echoed, straightening up and looking at the male in question, who raised his eyebrows and sighed. The pair seemed <em> very </em> interested in knowing that he met his soulmate, which he didn’t blame them for, since it was common knowledge he hadn’t. At least, until yesterday.</p><p>“Yeah, yesterday.” He shrugged, playing it off nonchalantly. What was he supposed to say? They decided to be friends instead of pursuing a relationship like most people did? </p><p>“Is she pretty?” They asked at the same time, lunging forward and making Beck take a step back at how excited they were.</p><p>“Um. Yeah, she’s gorgeous. You two have got to calm down, though.” </p><p>They started wiggling their eyebrows, and Beck shook his head at their antics whilst they started bombarding him with more questions — <em> just how pretty was she, what did she look like, where did he meet her </em>and also teasing him by continuing to wiggle their eyebrows and goof around.</p><p>“Just… get back to work, both of you.”</p>
<hr/><p>The day had passed so quickly and uneventfully that Beck had operated on autopilot for the past few hours until closing; an unsettling feeling of disappointment blanketing him for some reason, and he didn’t know <em> why </em>he was feeling so down — well, he did have a clue as to why, but it was stupid.</p><p>He had been expecting to see Jade come to the cafe, and gotten disappointed when she hadn’t. It was unreasonable to feel <em> this </em>discontent just because she didn’t end up coming to the shop; it wasn’t like they were dating or anything. He just thought they were on friendly terms, and that warranted her visiting the cafe regularly — like the rest of his friends. </p><p>Maybe they were still acquaintances rather than friends like he had thought.</p><p>That thought was even more depressing, and he pushed it back to the recesses of his mind as he locked up the cafe doors.</p><p>“Beck, here’s the list of items we’re running low on.” Sinjin passed him a piece of paper, his satchel situated on his shoulder. </p><p>“Oh, thanks. I’m going to get groceries for dinner anyway, so I’ll pick these up for the shop too.” He took the list from the curly-haired boy, nodding with a smile. “See you guys tomorrow and have a nice dinner.”</p><p>“See you, boss!” They chimed together before they loaded themselves into Sinjin’s car and drove off.</p><p>With a sigh of either exhaustion or disappointment (he wasn’t sure, it could be both), Beck got into his car, debating which grocery store he should go to — ultimately, he decided to go to the one farther from his house, because it had a wider selection of items anyway. </p><p>The drive to the store was smooth and quiet; there weren’t as many people as he had been anticipating, and he found a parking space quickly. With a basket in hand, he headed into the store, pulling out the list that Sinjin had written as he walked in. </p><p>Obviously, he had never learned from when he was five years old and had walked into the mart with his mother and the grocery list in hand, only to walk smack into a stranger — at least this time, he took his eyes off the paper quick enough to see someone in front of him, stopping in his tracks immediately before he walked right into them. The stranger turned just as he backed off, hands up in the best surrendering motion he could do with a basket and a piece of paper in both hands.</p><p>“I’m sorry.” </p><p>“Watch where you’re going— Beck?” The familiar, velvety voice made him look up and, lo and behold, there stood the one person he had been thinking about. She was dressed in a black crop top and jeans, with a large cardigan thrown over to complete her all black ensemble. </p><p>“Jade.” He breathed, surprise evident in his features as his mind scrambled for words to say. “Hey.”</p><p>“Hey yourself,” she replied, raising her eyebrows at him before she turned to face him fully, shifting her weight to one leg and cocking her hip. “What are you doing here?”</p><p>“Oh, just getting some stuff for the shop,” Beck shrugged, giving her an easy smile as their eyes met for a moment. “And for dinner. Tell me, does pasta or hamburger sound better to you?”</p><p>“It sounds like you’re inviting me over for dinner.” She raised her eyebrows and waved the carton of orange juice she had been holding all the while. “But pasta sounds good.” </p><p>“Uh. Well… I wouldn’t mind having you over for dinner.” He muttered, more to himself than anything, nodding his gratitude. “I guess I’ll make pasta then. Thanks.”</p><p>“So you <em> are </em>inviting me over for dinner?” </p><p>He paused, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “Wait, did I say that out loud?”</p><p>The brunette nodded, seemingly amused by the slight quirk of her lips. A silent noise of revelation made him open his lips and he nodded, looking away in embarrassment. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. At all.</p><p>“Oh. Um.” Beck racked his brains for any excuse he could say, then decided that since she had already heard him — to heck with it. “Do you want to come over for dinner?”</p><p>Jade stared at him, seeming to ponder her next move. She pursed her lips, then tilted her head to the side, tone full of curiosity. “What kind of pasta are you making?”</p><p>“I was thinking maybe garlic butter or carbonara.” He replied, shrugging one shoulder and feeling nervous about her answer. Maybe she didn’t even like garlic. Or bacon. </p><p>“Garlic butter? That actually sounds really nice.” She debated with herself for a moment longer, then nodded her head. “Sure, I’d like to come over for dinner.”</p><p>“Great. I’ll have to get some ingredients first, though, so…” Beck trailed off, glancing away before he looked at her again. “Walk with me?”</p><p>“Kay.” She smiled, turning to put the carton of orange juice back on the shelf she had gotten it from, then gestured for him to walk ahead. “Lead the way.”</p><p>He couldn’t help the smile that lit up his face in return, shifting his basket to the crook of his arm before he started walking. The first item on the list had been sugar, which he found easily in the next aisle, and then they continued their little journey throughout the store, talking whilst picking up everything he needed before they headed to checkout.</p><p>“... No way. You’re telling me he actually tried to duplicate your mark when you were ten? When it hadn’t even bloomed yet?” He chuckled, having tucked the list away into his pocket once he was done with it, and now was waiting with Jade to pay for the groceries. “That’s… dumb.”</p><p>“Yeah, Ryder wasn’t exactly the brightest crayon in the box.” She rolled her eyes at the memory, shaking her head. “I don’t know <em> why </em> he was so obsessed with me. He kept trying to convince me we were soulmates for years after that too.”</p><p>“Well, I don’t blame him for trying, you’re beautiful.” He raised his eyebrows, a boyish grin overtaking his features. “But y’know, he can’t fake a mark to convince you any longer.”</p><p>Jade scoffed, though her expression hinted she was a lot more amused than she let on; the brunette rolled her eyes as she started browsing through the small section of snacks they had near the cashier.</p><p>“Yeah, I doubt he can duplicate it,” she commented whilst picking up a bag of jelly beans, looking at the back of the package distastefully. “But I’d rather not see him at all, if I can help it. Have you ever had a jelly bean that’s supposed to taste like dog food?”</p><p>“No, that sounds disgusting.” Beck retorted, placing his basket full of groceries onto the conveyor belt before he looked at her. “Why?”</p><p>“I don’t know, it was the flavour that jumped out at me most. Apparently it’s jelly bean roulette.” She scoffed, flipping the package over back to the front. “I think I’ll get it and then trick Cat into eating the disgusting ones.”</p><p>“Well, we can play it with the whole gang if you want.” He pointed out as the cashier started to scan and pack his purchases away. “Here, put it in the basket and you can pay me back later.”</p><p>She paused for a second to think about it, then shrugged and placed the package into the basket. Once every item had been scanned and bagged, Beck handed over his card and paid for everything. </p><p>The cashier placed the receipt into one of the bags as he thanked them, lifting the groceries into his hands. To his surprise, Jade took a few for him as they left the store — he immediately offered to trade her so she could carry the lighter ones.</p><p>“Please, I can handle carrying something heavy for a few minutes.” The brunette rolled her eyes, something he was pretty much getting used to. “Don’t worry about it, my arms won’t break off.”</p><p>Beck opened his mouth to say something, but she shot him a look that made him close it immediately, showing her the way to where the car was parked. They placed the groceries strategically in the back, then got into the vehicle.</p><p>“I hope you can cook fast, because I’m hungry.” She huffed as she buckled her seatbelt, leaning back against the plush leather seat.</p><p>“It takes about fifteen to twenty minutes to prepare and cook everything,” he replied as he put the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. “And it’s about a fifteen minute ride to my house. Think you can wait that long?”</p><p>She made an exaggerated show of widening her eyes and pursing her lips in shock, then nodded — he only chuckled wordlessly at how <em> adorable </em>she looked.</p><p>“Sure.”</p>
<hr/><p>Thankfully, traffic wasn’t too bad due to it still being just a little before normal working hours ended, and the drive home wasn’t as awkward as their meeting in the park. She had asked him about the song playing in the car, and he had told her about his favourite band, to which she had asked for a copy of the song because it was, in her own words, ‘pretty good’.</p><p>He’d promised to send her a copy of the song later on.</p><p>“Well, here we are,” Beck announced as he unlocked and pushed open the door to his small studio apartment, holding the door open so she could walk in with half of the groceries in hand. “Welcome to my house. It’s not much.”</p><p>Jade swiveled her head as she looked around the large but cosy space, noting the stairs leading up to where she supposed it was a bedroom. She had assumed he’d have brighter-coloured furniture, but the navy and browns around the space was a pleasant surprise — at least it didn’t feel like she’d burn her eyeballs from too many saturated colours.</p><p>“Not much?” She narrowed her eyes at him, tilting her head to the stairs. “You have a loft.” </p><p>He laughed easily as he led the way, in putting his half of the groceries on the counter before he turned to get the other half from her. Once her hands were free, she placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head at him.</p><p>“Your place is <em> huge. </em>All of this for one person?” Jade questioned, lifting one hand to gesticulate to the space. “I’m surprised you don’t have one of those fancy fireplaces.”</p><p>“I was going to live together with Andre here during university, and we pooled together our savings and had help from our parents,” he explained whilst unbagging the groceries and putting them away, making sure to put aside the ones he needed to bring to the cafe the next day. “Well, we were supposed to, but then he met Tori and… he decided to stay with her family instead, so I have all of this to myself now.”</p><p>He pulled out the ingredients needed for the pasta, washing all the utensils he needed as well before he looked up at her with a grin. “And no fancy fireplace because I feel like… if I were ever to get drunk near one, I’d end up tripping into it or something.” </p><p>“Mm.” Jade tilted her head to the side, humming in agreement before she crossed her arms and stood there momentarily. “Need any help?” </p><p>Beck looked up from where he had pulled his hair out of its very loose ponytail, securing it so his hair wouldn’t flop all over the place before he picked up the knife, pressing the flat side of the blade to smash the garlic.</p><p>“It’s fine, you’re my guest,” he gestured with his free hand to the seats and the television. “Get comfy, turn on the tv, dinner will be ready soon.”</p><p>She gave him a light scowl, as if she had wanted to help, then strolled farther into the apartment, letting her eyes wander over his decor. It was simple, a few art pieces (a total of three) hanging on the wall closer to the navy sofa, and just very… <em> Beck.  </em></p><p>“Can I go up to your loft?” She asked, her gaze lingering on the steps leading up into what seemed to be a cosier space, and he looked up from where he had been preparing the garlic and herbs.</p><p>“Sure, but I won’t be able to give you a tour since I’m cooking right now,” he replied, frowning a little as he picked up his frying pan. “There’s not much to see, though, but knock yourself out.”</p><p>“It’s okay, I just want to have a quick look.” She told him, waiting for him to say something.</p><p>With his nod of approval, Jade climbed up the stairs, letting her gaze wander about the space. There was a huge walk-in wardrobe to the right of the stairs, and then right in front was what she supposed was the bedroom. A few steps closer ensured her assumption — a huge bed was in the middle of the room, looking so soft and inviting she had to tear her eyes away from it. Like Beck had said, there wasn’t much to see — there weren’t many decorations upstairs, only being furnished with said bed and a small bedside table next to it with a lamp and a book — unless she wanted to take a tour of his closet, which wasn’t something she really wanted to do.</p><p>She headed back down the stairs, catching a glimpse of her companion frying everything together, which meant dinner would probably be ready very, very soon. Deciding to be patient, she headed over to the small dining table closer to the kitchen and pulled out a chair. As expected, he glanced over at her, smiling when she sat down quickly before he turned back to the pasta cooking in the pan.</p><p>“It’s almost done.” He told her, doing a quick flip of the pan so the pasta was mixed well with the sauce.</p><p>She rested one arm on the table, cupping the side of her face with her hand as she watched him, impressed by how he managed not to spill the pasta everywhere whilst flipping it. True to his word, it only took a few more minutes before he was turning off the heat and plating the steaming hot pasta into pretty, cerulean plates.</p><p>When he set it in front of her, she’s surprised by how pretty it looked — the noodles were swirled together into a neat little heap, sprinkled with herbs and shredded cheese.</p><p>“What’s this cheese, mozzarella?” She asked, smiling in gratitude when he handed her a clean fork to use, taking the utensil into her dominant hand.</p><p>“Yeah, it’s vegan,” he took a seat with his own fork in one hand and a few napkins in the other. He placed the napkins between them, smiling at her. “I made it myself, let me know how it tastes.”</p><p>“You made vegan cheese?” She echoed, eyebrows knitted together as she twirled her pasta onto her fork and ate a mouthful. "Why?"</p><p>“Mhm. Cat and Tori had this healthy eating slash vegan diet for a few weeks that they asked me to help with, so I looked for vegan cheese recipes, cause Cat loves cheese and didn’t want to give it up.” He explained, pasta twirled onto his fork but still far from his mouth as he observed her expression anxiously, waiting for her to comment on the dish.</p><p>Conscious of his eyes on her, Jade chewed silently and swallowed, humming in approval. It was simple, not too buttery, and well, she liked it.</p><p>“It’s good.” She praised at last, tilting her head to the side for a second before she smiled at him. “I really like it.”</p><p>The relief he felt was instant, taking on the form of a bright smile, and she couldn’t help her own smile from growing at how <em> happy </em>he looked. With the knowledge that he had cooked something she enjoyed, he tucked into his dinner as well.</p>
<hr/><p>Dinner had been a relatively quiet affair, other than moments when they spoke to each other. He had found out quickly that Jade detested speaking with her mouth full, opting instead to ask questions when she didn’t have food in her mouth. As it turned out, both of them were pretty fast eaters, and now they were relaxing on the sofa with glasses of wine.</p><p>“So… how was the one-person tour upstairs?” Beck asked after he took a sip of wine, sighing as he placed the glass aside and relaxed against the tan leather of the corner seat.</p><p>“Well, it was pretty boring,” she replied, shooting him a look and pausing as she took a sip from her own glass. “Your bedroom was really empty. Actually, so is your living room. Have you never heard of decorating?”</p><p>He barked out a laugh, gesturing to the three artworks he had displayed on the wall behind where she was seated.</p><p>“Do those not count?” He asked, his amusement leaking through his voice.</p><p>She turned as if she had never seen them there when she walked in earlier, then shook her head with a disapproving expression. “There’s only <em> three </em>paintings on the wall, Beck.” </p><p>“Okay, miss know-it-all, what would you suggest then?” The grin on his lips never seemed to go away no matter how much faux contempt he attempted to put into his voice.</p><p>“Well, maybe a plant or two… I think your bedroom could use some sprucing up, though.” Jade noted, tucking her hair behind one ear and giving an amused smile. “I’ll let you know if I think of anything.” </p><p>“I’m not sure if I’m capable of keeping houseplants alive.” He admitted, reaching for his glass and taking a large gulp, nearly finishing it as she watched him. </p><p>“Well, maybe you could get a fake plant then.” She shrugged lightly, finishing the last of her wine in one gulp and licking her lips. “So it doesn’t die because of your… lack of gardening skills.” </p><p>He chuckled, draining the last of his glass’s contents before he stretched his palm towards her for her empty glass, which she gave to him. Beck stood up, heading to the kitchen whilst she checked her phone for the time — a quiet gasp escaping when she realised that they had been at his house for close to two hours. Quickly washing the glasses and setting them aside to dry, he wiped his hands on the handcloth before he returned to the brunette’s side.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” He asked, brows furrowed in concern as she slipped her phone back into her bag, looking up at him. </p><p>“Oh, no, I just didn’t realise how late it was already.” With a sigh, she stood up, straightening her shirt before she shouldered her bag. “This was nice, but I have to get going.”</p><p>“I’ll drive you home.” He offered immediately, holding up one finger to stop her when she opened her mouth to say something, moving to grab his keys from where he had discarded them on the table when they first entered. “Let’s go.” </p><p>She shut her mouth, gave him a scowl but couldn’t stop the smile from lifting the corners of her lips upwards as she brushed past him, purposefully knocking her shoulder into his. With a boyish grin, he swept a hand through his hair and followed her out the door.</p>
<hr/><p>With it only being 10pm, the roads were quieter than before, and the drive was quick, accompanied by Jade humming along to the songs she knew playing, seemingly in a pleasant mood compared to when they had first met. It was refreshing to see, and to hear, because he could tell she had a good voice — even if she was only humming. He was a little displeased when he pulled up to the entrance of her apartment complex; reaching to unbuckle his own seatbelt so he could walk her in to her door, like he had the last time. </p><p>“Beck, you don’t have to walk me to my door,” she said quietly, and he looked over at her in confusion, eyes wide. Again, the thought that he looked like a giant puppy crossed her mind, but she shot him a smile. “Thank you for dinner, it was really good.”</p><p>“Oh. No problem.” He sat there dumbly, wondering what he should say next before he saw her move towards him out the corner of his eye, turning in case she wanted to say something more. </p><p>Instead, he froze as she pressed her lips against the corner of her mouth, pulling back quickly with wide, surprised eyes. She was the first to recover, huffing a loud hum in thought.</p><p>“Well, I was aiming for your cheek, but I guess that works too.” Jade shrugged, picked up her bag and opened her door, stepping out before she bent over, the front of her shirt dipping down with the motion and granting him a glimpse of her bosom; his mouth immediately became dry, and he tried to look elsewhere — like her eyes — but failed. “I’ll see you around, Oliver.” </p><p>He barely managed to stutter out a quick goodbye before she shut the door, gave him a little wave through the window before she turned and vanished through the doors of her apartment complex. He exhaled harshly, not knowing he had been holding his breath ever since her lips had touched his face and — oh <em> wow, </em>suddenly it felt like his brain had turned to mush in those few seconds. He didn’t know how long he sat there, trying to collect himself, but all he knew was that at some point, he had driven home and gotten into the shower, then tucked himself into bed, all with the buzzing feeling of her soft, soft lips against his skin. Beck only had one thought on his mind.</p><p>This whole <em> let’s be friends </em>thing was much, much more difficult than he had initially thought it would be.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° yay!! here's the next chapter! i struggled choosing between the words 'bosom' and 'chest' lmao. also please look forward to the next chapter, i have something exciting in store heheheh (╯✧▽✧)╯</p><p>Beck’s apartment: https://imgur.com/a/frVtAPw<br/>Jade’s apartment: https://imgur.com/a/FSFdh54</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>See you around </span>
  </em>
  <span>became a mystery as to when they would ever meet again, because he hadn’t seen her ever since the day that she had kissed— </span>
  <em>
    <span>stop it. </span>
  </em>
  <span>The point was that Beck hadn’t seen Jade ever since their past meeting, it had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>weeks </span>
  </em>
  <span>and he was getting restless, except she hadn’t specified a time frame in which he would see her again, and it was completely up to her when she wanted to come and see him again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, the cafe was pretty much empty, and he had sent Sinjin out with Burf just minutes earlier to send an order out to one of their regulars who had recently taken a bad fall and was now under strict orders from his doctor to stay at home — the regular had taken to ordering takeaway from the cafe instead, and the last time he had sent Sinjin alone, the boy had managed to trip over the </span>
  <em>
    <span>bike chain</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So as a smart employer who learned from past mistakes, he had sent both of them out instead and was now alone in the cafe, which he was starting to regret because he was now alone with his thoughts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a loud sigh, he made himself an iced chocolate, dramatically topping it off with what was probably too much whipped cream to drown his sorrows in. As he took a sip, the door opened with its usual cheery jingle, and his head shot up so quickly in hope that he felt a slight twinge of embarrassment in his chest when he saw that it had been his friends instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hiiii Beck!” Cat greeted happily, giving him a wave along with the rest of the gang behind her, sans Robbie. He probably had a packed schedule given the movie he was doing effects for was releasing in a few months, Beck reasoned to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey man, what’s up?” Andre reached for his hand, doing their usual greeting before he noticed the expression — or rather, lack of his usual amiability — on his friend’s face. “Whoa, why do you look like the world is ending?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was just thinking.” He covered smoothly, giving them a reassuring smile before he was interrupted </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>quickly by Tori and Cat’s squealing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beck, your mark bloomed!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my gosh! Beck, your mark!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right, he had his sleeves rolled up again. Of course. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You never learn, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he chided himself as he heaved a deep sigh, preparing for the onslaught of questions that would rain down on him in three… two… one…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, when did you meet your soulmate? Why didn’t you tell us?! This is such important news, Beck! Who was it? Is she cute? Do we know her?” Tori barely breathed as her thoughts all tumbled out immediately without a pause. “Oh my </span>
  <em>
    <span>god, </span>
  </em>
  <span>please tell me it wasn’t some random girl or boy you passed by on the street and you didn’t notice until you got home so you don’t know who it is.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tor, breathe.” Her own soulmate reminded her, gently patting her on the arm and guiding her to an open seat at the bar. Once she was situated safely on the chair, she turned to Beck, eyes blazing with questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well?!” She exclaimed not even a second later, throwing her hands up into the air in exasperation when he didn’t provide an answer quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe let Beck breathe for a second, babe,” Andre reminded her, gesturing to Beck to hand him a menu. “Look, why don’t you choose what you wanna eat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The brunette grumbled through complying with his suggestion, flipping through the menu whilst glancing up at the male in question repeatedly and pointedly. His mind was racing a mile a minute to come up with answers — he could just tell them the truth, but then there was the possibility that Tori would try to set them up together and he didn’t really want that; on the other hand, he would feel guilty about hiding this information from his friends as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I met her the other day when you guys came in,” he started, choosing his words careful whilst rubbing his nape anxiously as Tori seemed to cling onto his every word. “Um. She’s pretty, yeah, and I guess you guys sort of… know her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We.., know her?” Tori parroted back, eyes squinted and brows scrunched together, trying to recall the day they had come to visit the cafe together. “Mere… dith?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rolled his eyes. “No, I’ve never met Meredith.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who else do we sort of know?” Andre joined in, making air quotes around the words </span>
  <em>
    <span>sort of. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Maybe someone we’ve passed by? Or was in the cafe on the same day?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, this memory game hurts my brain.” Tori complained, pouting as she flipped the pages of the menu to the beverages section.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cat? Help us think too.” The swarthy male turned to the redhead who had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>way too </span>
  </em>
  <span>quiet, and found her fixated on Beck’s mark. He waved a hand in front of her unblinking eyes. “Cat? Andre to Cat, come back to Earth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cat!” Tori echoed, snapping her fingers lightly when she didn’t reply. “Cat, what’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” The redhead gasped at last, clapping her hands together excitedly and bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Oh my gosh!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them shared a confused look at her sudden excitement. Andre spoke first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Lil Red? What’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was wondering why Beck’s mark seemed so familiar,” Cat began between giggles, still clapping in her enthusiasm, before she gestured towards the male behind the counter. “And then I finally remembered!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean, it seemed so familiar?” Andre asked, but Tori shot up in her seat immediately, reaching for Cat’s hands with wide eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know who it is?!” She yelled, almost falling off her chair in excitement, clutching at the redhead’s smaller hands. “Cat, you know who Beck’s soulmate is?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” Cat chirped, beaming happily in pride as she nodded her head. “It looks exactly like Jadey’s mark!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beck froze, unsure what to say whilst Tori whipped her head towards him so quickly he kind of feared for his life, and Andre’s mouth dropped open in shock. Of course Cat would know, she was Jade’s friend, though the fact that </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>hadn’t seen the mark on Jade’s skin and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cat </span>
  </em>
  <span>had kind of made him feel a twinge of disappointment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jade’s your soulmate?!” Tori questioned, brows furrowed together as she stared at him with a mixture of confusion and surprise. “Wait, so you’re saying your mark bloomed </span>
  <em>
    <span>while </span>
  </em>
  <span>we were there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He paused, lifting a brow and trying to string a coherent sentence together. A finger went up as a signal to give him a minute, and the three of them stared at him until he put it down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he sighed at last, nodding his head to confirm what was just laid on the table. “Jade’s my soulmate.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence. Then, Tori immediately exploded with questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, </span>
  <em>
    <span>what, </span>
  </em>
  <span>so you found out you were soulmates and didn’t tell us?!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andre pulled her back down into her seat, patting her back in an attempt to calm her down. She wasn’t angry per se, just disappointed that her long-time friend hadn’t told them about something this important — at the same time, she knew that Beck liked to have his privacy, and was tightlipped about many aspects of his life, but she had thought that it would be different with them, since they had been close for so long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, I was going to tell you guys, but things happened, and I didn’t get the chance to.” Beck explained, sighing as he rested his hands on the countertop, feeling a little apologetic that he hadn’t told them when he first discovered Jade was his soulmate. “But listen, if you want, I can tell you about it now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This obviously piqued the brunette’s interest, so she immediately rested her elbows on the counter, cupping her face with a sparkle in her eyes. Andre chuckled, taking his seat next to her before he opened the menu, gesturing towards it and tugging Cat by her arm gently to sit down with them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s order some food so we can hear what happened, okay? I’m getting hungry.” </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“So yeah, I haven’t seen her for a while now.” Beck concluded, taking a sip of his own drink and setting it down. After about an hour of telling the story of how he had discovered the mark at home and the events that occurred after it, he had decided to close the shop once Sinjin and Burf had returned from their delivery — they had gone home quite happily. “It’s been a few weeks, I think?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, Beck, I’m sure she’ll come by and see you again!” Tori pouted, feeling sympathetic for her friend as she chewed thoughtfully on a wafer stick from her sundae. “Who knows, maybe she likes you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tor, did you miss the part where she suggested we become friends?” He questioned, amusement seeping into his voice, brows lifting to convey said amusement fully. “And the part where I said yes, let’s be friends?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No I heard you, but y’know,” the brunette waved her free hand around wildly, widening her eyes as if emphasising her missing point. “You’re nice, you’ve got a stable income and a big apartment, you’re single and basically a really, really good catch.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hid his laugh inside of the rim of his cup. “Thanks, but I don’t think Jade sees me that way.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What makes you think that? I think, from my first impression of her, is that she’s pretty secretive when it comes to things like… feelings.” Andre piped up, spooning the sundae he was sharing with his girlfriend. “So maybe she’s not the kind to be openly affectionate if she liked you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re just making assumptions at this point.” Beck said, finishing the last of his drink and wiping his mouth clean with a napkin. “We don’t really know her.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But Cat knows her.” Tori pointed out, picking up the other wafer stick that Andre offered her and munching on it. Her words made the other two turn to the redhead, who was focused on her ice-cream and waffle. “So Cat… what has Jade said about Beck? Does she like him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Um.” She blinked, trying to recall if Jade had said anything memorable about Beck. “I think she said he’s nice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tori stared at her blankly for a second, then shook her head with a sigh. “No, Cat, what else did she say? Like, did she say, oh, Beck seems really nice, I’d date him?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cat scrunched her nose in thought, tilting her head left and right before she shook her head. “No, I think she only said he was nice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That makes no sense, Beck is </span>
  <em>
    <span>the </span>
  </em>
  <span>perfect catch!” The brunette retorted, earning a nudge to her side from her boyfriend, who gave her a look. “I mean, for the single ladies. You know I only love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ecstatic grin overtook Andre’s face before he could help it; he leaned forward to give Tori a chaste kiss whilst Beck shook his head and collected the empty cups to wash them. Cat continued to eat her waffle, chewing silently as the silence blanketed them for a long moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Cat, where has Jade been?” Tori asked once Andre moved back to his seat, finishing their sundae. “Why hasn’t she come to see Beck yet? They’re supposed to be friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think her definition of a friend is different from yours, Tor,” Beck offered as an answer, chuckling as he wiped his hands and came back to the counter. “I don’t think she’s the kind who always wants to hang out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” Cat chirped in agreement, smiling widely as she popped the last of her waffle into her mouth. “Jadey likes her privacy. Oh, but she said she had an exhibition to prepare for, so she’s busy recently. I haven’t really seen her much either.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, cool! I remember you said she was a photographer. What kind of photography does she do?” Andre asked, taking a sip of Tori’s drink as they all turned to the petite girl, waiting for her answer to the enigma that was Jade.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s a freelance photographer, but she mostly takes photos of scenery,” Cat explained, clasping her hands together dreamily. “Her photos are really good! I think this time the exhibition was about this nature event or something? Or was it something about love?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She paused, pulling out her phone from her bag, the device vibrating angrily in her hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it’s Jadey! Let me take this.” She chirped, swiping on the screen before putting the device to her ear. “Hiii Jadey!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a pause as she listened to her friend speak on the phone, the wide smile on her face slowly melting away into concern in a matter of seconds. This alerted the rest of them as they exchanged worried glances with each other, waiting for Cat to relay any information as to what was happening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, calm down, just… get away from him for now, stay with your clients or something.” The redhead suggested, gathering her things before she gestured for them to do the same. Beck hurriedly scribbled a note for either Sinjin or Burf to tally with the cashier tomorrow morning because there was an emergency, and the four of them quickly left the cafe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s your car, Beck?” Tori asked, worry etched on her features as she whirled around trying to find the familiar vehicle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He unlocked the car quickly, having parked it close to the cafe as per usual, and they all piled into it. Having started the engine, he glanced towards Cat for where they were supposed to go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, we’re on the way there! Just keep pretending we’re having an important conversation.” She quickly pulled the phone away from her ear, pressing the speaker button before she moved it closer to Beck. “Where did you say you were again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m at the small museum, you know, the one close to the teddy bear shop you like to go to.” Jade’s voice answered through the phone, making Beck punch in the address quickly since he knew which one she was talking about. Her voice dropped into a whisper in the next second. “Oh, fuck, here he comes again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Jade, c’mon, aren’t you going to take off your jacket?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>The unknown voice of a male was picked up from the background, coming closer. Something about the tone of voice made Beck furious, but he set the destination quickly, ensured they all had their seatbelts on, then peeled out of the parking space.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine.” Jade answered shortly, and Beck could feel his blood boiling at the hint of tension in her voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s hot in here, Jade, take it off.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>His grip on the steering wheel got tighter to the point his knuckles turned white, and he had to focus on the road. As much as he felt furious about the manner in which this stranger was talking to Jade, he couldn’t do a thing about it, especially whilst driving a car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m on the phone, Daniels.” Her tone grew even shorter, if possible, and the atmosphere in the car was eerily silent. Cat’s eyes shone with furious tears, clutching her phone tightly like it was the only lifeline to Jade. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Get off the phone, then, and spend some time with me. You know, we’re soulmates, after all.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to find Susie.” The clicking of her heels sounded in the background, along with another set of feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Stop being such a bitch, Jade, you know we’re meant to be ever since we met.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, she didn’t deem him worthy of an answer, still walking until they heard the sound of a door opening, then the background noises of a road and people bustling about. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re almost there Jadey, just hold on!” Cat’s voice cracked somewhere in the middle of her sentence, and Tori reached out from the backseat to pat the petite girl’s shoulder in comfort. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Jade c’mon, stop being so snobby. You’re never going to find better than me.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Stop ignoring me like a bitch!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t touch me!” Jade yelled, which was then followed by a loud clatter, then the line disconnecting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jadey? Jadey!” Cat cried, quickly looking at her phone screen to find that the call had been dropped. “Oh no, Jadey!”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Their footsteps echoed against the cement loudly as they hurried towards the museum, Cat immediately finding her friend, who seemed </span>
  <em>
    <span>extremely </span>
  </em>
  <span>unhappy at the man holding her wrist. Her entire posture was tense, leaning away from him, and the scowl on her face spoke volumes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they were close enough, they could hear that Jade was arguing with the man in hushed voices, probably to not draw attention to themselves. The four of them obviously draw the pair’s attention, and the relief that flooded Jade’s face once she saw Cat was astounding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let her go!” The redhead cried out, rushing towards Jade and trying to separate them. It didn’t work, given the stranger was obviously stronger than her, and he gave her a menacing scowl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you?” He snapped, narrowing his eyes at the redhead trying desperately to tug his hand off Jade. “Don’t butt into our lovers’ spat.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not her lover!” Cat snapped, the other three hurrying over to her to prevent anything from anything. With how the stranger seemed to resort to violent threats, they were more worried about either of the girls getting hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you know? Jade and I are soulmates!” The stranger yelled, pulling on Jade’s wrist to get her away from the petite redhead. “Now sod off! C’mon, darling.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tugged on her wrist harder, making Jade exhale a quiet whimper in pain. Immediately, fury rose within Beck, and he found himself grabbing the guy’s wrist quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, let her go.” He growled, trying to keep the lid on his anger. “She doesn’t like you holding her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you guys, flies?! Annoying bunch of…” The guy trailed off, puffing his chest to seem larger than Beck. He was a few inches taller, but obviously Beck wasn’t intimidated. “My </span>
  <em>
    <span>girlfriend </span>
  </em>
  <span>and I need to talk, so buzz off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s not your girlfriend.” Beck replied shortly, physically prying the guy’s hand off Jade’s wrist, then stepping in front of her slightly to put some distance between them in case he went for her again. “Leave her alone.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell, man? That’s my soulmate, you should back off and leave us alone!” He glanced down, noticing the mark on Beck’s arm before he scoffed loudly. “What the hell? You already have a soulmate, so why are you trying to be a knight for some random girl?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s not some random girl,” he retorted before he could think properly, turning his head slightly to make sure that Jade was alright. She looked up at him, eyes locking with his, and barely managed a nod to convey she was fine. “She’s my friend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, go back to your soulmate and stop trying to steal mine.” The guy snarled, stepping forward menacingly, Beck immediately raising an arm to protect the brunette behind him. “Move.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> your soulmate.” He didn’t mean to hold so much conviction behind his voice, but it came out anyway, and the stranger raised his eyebrows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you know, you’re just some pretty boy. Get out of my way.” He raised a hand, though Beck didn't flinch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was surprised when Jade moved behind him, keeping one hand curled tightly around the back of his shirt. Her voice was low, and she was still protected by his outstretched arm; he saw her removing her jacket from the corner of his eye to reveal pale skin coloured exactly like his mark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s not just some pretty boy, Daniels,” Jade levelled the stranger with a hard stare from her position behind Beck. “He’s my soulmate.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>the number of times i rewrote this is embarrassing. i'm sorry for the wait, please enjoy!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>